Step 1

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil (see notes).

Step 2

Cook pasta until just before it's al dente (about 2 minutes before the time designated on the package).

Step 3

Meanwhile, cook ground beef in a large deep skillet until fully cooked. As you are cooking it, break it into very small pieces. I used a potato masher to make sure it got broken up enough.

Step 4

Move the beef to one side of the skillet and tilt it in order to separate the grease/liquid. Remove the grease with a spoon and discard.

Step 5

Add the marinara sauce to the ground beef. Stir, cover, and simmer until heated through.

Step 6

When pasta is done just before it's al dente, reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water and drain the rest. Don't drain too thoroughly- it's OK, and actually a good thing, if it has some of the water clinging to it.

Step 7

Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce (you can also move it directly from the water using a slotted spoon). If the skillet is too small, you can add the pasta back into the pot in which it cooked, and add the sauce to it.

Step 8

Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce in the skillet or pot and keep heat on medium low. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, stirring to coat. Add more pasta water as necessary to help the pasta finish cooking to al dente- it will help the sauce thicken and stick to every piece of pasta (I used about 3/4 cup total).

Step 9

Turn off the heat. Stir in olive oil (2 tablespoons) and pecorino romano cheese (1/4 cup). Taste and add salt if necessary.

Step 10

Serve immediately with extra pecorino romano and garnished with fresh parsley, seasoned with fresh ground black pepper.